


A Tahneska Fanfic

by allywonderland



Series: The Legend of Korra Shipping Fics [39]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-07
Updated: 2013-04-07
Packaged: 2017-12-07 17:17:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/751041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allywonderland/pseuds/allywonderland
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Short shipping fic, written on Tumblr, archived here.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Tahneska Fanfic

            When Asami had left her, saying, “I’ll be right back,” she’d _said_ she’d wait for her at the table.

            But when Eska felt the small hairs at the back of her neck prickling, felt strange eyes boring into her, and she looked up to see some guy at another table staring at her, lips tugging lopsidedly at the corners in a grin, eyebrows raised curiously, arm draped around another woman beside him, she raised an eyebrow in return, stood, and walked over.

            He watched her the whole short distance, not blinking once.

            She stopped in front of the table, looking down at him, and asked, “Is there something I can _help_ you with?”

            “Oh, no, please,” he said, “don’t let me bother you.  I’m simply intrigued that the princess of the Northern Water Tribe is here.”

            The woman in his arms dipped her head to hide a smile.

            Her lips hardened and she wouldn’t take the bait, show surprise at his knowing who she was.  “Asami offered to show me around the city,” she said.  “And she said I might like the restaurant.”

            “It’s one of the best for Water Tribe cuisine in the city, yeah, but there are nicer.”  He shifted in his seat, sitting up and back and laying one palm on the table.  “My favourite’s Southern Water Tribe, though.”

            She glanced between him and the woman.  “Is it?” she asked.

            “You won’t find better Water Tribe noodles in Republic City,” he said.  “That was where I first met the Avatar, actually.”

            A connection clicked together in Eska’s mind.  “You’re the Pro-Bender waterbender who lost his bending,” she said.

            “That would be me, yes,” he—Tahno—said, then picked up a half-empty glass from the table and took a sip.

            ”Korra restored it, though.”

            “She did,” Tahno agreed.

            The woman remained silent, slowly tilting her own glass back and forth in her hands, and Eska wondered if she usually left conversation to Tahno like this.

            After a moment Eska looked back to Tahno and said, “Korra told me a lot about you.”

            “That so?  And what did the _Avatar_ have to say about he?” he asked, raising one eyebrow sarcastically.

            “Oh,” Eska said, lips curling in her own smile, “Things.”

            Tahno blinked, slowly, then laughed.  “That’s sweet of her.  Oh, that’s sweet.”  He shook his head, still grinning sarcastically, and put his glass back on the table.  “Give her a shout for me when you see her,” he said.  “One waterbender to another.”

            Eska nodded, head tilted back, and said, “You really don’t look like a waterbender, you know.”

            His eyelids flickered, briefly, and he pursed his lips and said, “I get that a lot.”

            She nodded and kept looking at him.

            (She didn’t apologize.)

            “You’re not _Northern_ Water Tribe,” she said, eventually, posing it as much as a statement as a question.

            “Hm, maybe not,” he conceded without answering.

            “Southern Water Tribe, then?” she asked, actually becoming curious.

            He blinked, slowly, purposefully, and tilted his head to one side.

            She narrowed her eyes, frustrated, and said, in exasperation, “ _Foggy Swamp_?”

            His lips stretched in a coy, sly grin, but before he could say or not say anything, Asami came rushing back.

            “Eska I’m sorry, I hope I wasn’t gone too long, and—” she stopped short when her eyes fell on Tahno.

            Eska turned to her, smiling, and said, “It’s fine, Asami.  Don’t worry.”

            Asami looked at her, frowning, eyes crinkled in consternation at the corners but whatever else she might have said slipped away as she glanced carefully back at Tahno.

            “Tahno,” she said by way of greeting.  “Eri.”

            Tahno grinned, and Eska hadn’t known there _could_ be so many different ways for someone to grin, and then he said, “Pleasure to see you, Miss Sato.”

            “Hm,” was all Asami said.

            Eska’s eyes bounced between them, unable to stay still, and even when she tried to look at the woman beside Tahno she couldn’t stay for long.

            “Don’t worry, we’ll be going soon,” Tahno said, sweeping one hand carelessly to the side.  “Eri and I are just waiting on Shaozu.”

            “He’s probably still chatting with Mikak,” Eri—evidently—said.

            Tahno nodded and leaned his head back towards her.  “Probably.”

            “Well.” Asami placed a hand on her shoulder and Eska glanced back at her.  “We can order soon.”

_We can leave them alone_ , was what she meant.

            “Do give my regards to Korra,” Tahno interjected when they moved to leave, voice raised.  Eska turned to him, catching the way his voice tarried over Korra’s name; the way he enunciated each syllable; the conflict interwoven with every letter; the way his eyes had darkened, serious, a solemn note she hadn’t expected.  Eri breathed in and out, either not noticing or not finding the dramatic change worth note (or maybe even not finding it out of ordinary), watching Eska from beneath her short-cut dark bangs.

            Eska paused, briefly, then squared her shoulders and breathed in and said, “I will.”

            He nodded—barely more than a dismissal.  “Good.”

            Their lunch was good, as Asami had promised, but Eska found herself, curiously, wishing she’d gotten the name of the Southern Water Tribe restaurant.

            It just meant that she would have to relay the encounter to Korra.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a few small notes: Eri, as always, is my name for [the crying fangirl](http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m44fp3cdBc1r0jf2u.gif). I have my own headcanon as to Tahno's ancestry and heritage, but well, I don't think it's something he divulges immediately; I think he likes to keep people guessing.


End file.
